Guinea-Bissau arrests senior army officers for alleged coup attempt

Arrests travel earlier November wide elections arsenic incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embalo is astatine likelihood with the governmental opposition.

A radical of officers of Guinea-Bissau’s service person been arrested connected accusations of attempting a coup, according to the country’s equipped forces.

The alleged coup crippled progressive respective elder officers who were reported missing starting Monday, and was announced the time earlier the wide predetermination run was acceptable to begin.

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The subject thwarted an “attempt to subvert the law order”, General Mamadu Ture Kuruma, lawman main of unit of the equipped forces, said astatine a property league connected Friday.

“This bittersweet episode, which involves immoderate wide and elder officers of our Armed Forces, jeopardises the bid and stableness truthful desired for socio-economic improvement and the attraction of overseas investment,” work a connection from the equipped forces General Staff.

The coup effort was allegedly led by the manager of a subject grooming school, Brigadier General Dahaba Nawalna, with the enactment of immoderate generals and elder officers.

Kuruma did not supply each the names of detained officers, but named Nawalna, arsenic good arsenic Commanders Domingos Nhanke and Mario Midana, arsenic being among elder officers arrested connected Thursday successful their homes successful the superior Bissau.

No notation was made of what volition hap to the alleged coup plotters oregon however galore of them person been accused of taking part. It would beryllium the 2nd known coup effort against President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, who came to powerfulness successful 2020, the latest taking spot successful December 2023.

‘No upset volition beryllium tolerated’

There has been important contention implicit Embalo’s word successful beforehand of the November wide elections.

“This is so a caller effort to subvert the law order, connected the eve of the commencement of the predetermination run for the legislative and statesmanlike elections connected November 23,” Kuruma said.

Campaigning kicks disconnected connected Saturday successful Guinea-Bissau successful elections apt to beryllium dominated by the incumbent aft the main absorption was disqualified.

Embalo told reporters aft a furniture gathering connected Thursday that “no upset volition beryllium tolerated”, adding that the “government has taken each indispensable measures to guarantee the information of each campaigner during this campaign”.

Embalo has been astatine likelihood with the governmental opposition, which says his existent five-year word ran retired astatine the extremity of February, portion the Supreme Court of Justice has ruled that it ends connected September 4.

In March, Embalo besides said helium would tally for a 2nd word successful November, backtracking connected earlier vows to measurement down.

The absorption has refused to recognise Embalo arsenic president. A ngo by a West African determination bloc sent to Guinea-Bissau successful March to assistance resoluteness the situation besides near abruptly aft what it said were threats of expulsion from Embalo.

Guinea-Bissau has laboured nether a succession of coups since independency from Portugal successful 1974, but since its 2014 statesmanlike election, the Portuguese-speaking state has acceptable itself connected the way towards the regularisation of law.